June 4, 2020

To our members, community partners, food and fund donors, and the greater western Mass. community,

We are deeply horrified by the acts of violence committed against people of color recently and throughout history. The death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others in recent memory remind us of our nation’s dark past that persists to this day. Among others, the genocide of Native Americans, and more than four hundred years of slavery, the violent Jim Crow era of the 20th century, the systematic denial of civil rights and public benefits (unemployment benefits, the GI bill, etc.), housing and employment discrimination, community redlining, and continued police brutality clearly illustrate the gross injustices endured by people of color in the United States of America.

It should come as no surprise that people of color also are at greater risk of hunger and food insecurity – the uncertainty of not knowing how and when one will eat their next meal, much less a healthy one.

We know there are many causes of hunger and food insecurity. Systemic racism, in the past and today, is clearly one cause. We will never end hunger until we end systemic racism.

Communities of color have emphasized for years, and recent research reinforces, that systemic racism has created generational trauma and poor health, academic, and other outcomes for those who experience it daily. Individuals of color are at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease and death from COVID-19 as we are seeing it unfold now.

As the regional clearinghouse of emergency food, we partner with 175 local food pantries and meal sites to provide healthy food to struggling individuals and families. We strive to serve people of color and all communities facing hunger in the region with humility and respect. To dismantle racism and inequities, we must work with our community partners and those we serve to learn how to transform a badly broken system.

We remain steadfast in our resolve to oppose, expose, and partner to eliminate racism as we advance our mission to feed our neighbors in need and lead the community to end hunger.

Sincerely,